Flydubai co-pilot attempted to crash plane into Tel Aviv airport, Israeli passengers subdued him

Synopsis

Hamam al-Hammami, the co-pilot of Flydubai Flight FZ1073, planned a terrorist attack to crash the aircraft. He was detained after attempting to incapacitate the captain during the flight. Israeli passengers intervened and successfully restrained al-Hammami, averting a disaster. Investigations revealed his prior radicalization and connections to extremist ideology. Authorities are continuing to explore his background and any potential external influences.

Tel Aviv: Hamam al-Hammami, the Omco-pilot behind the September 30 terrorist attack aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, had planned to direct the airliner into Ben Gurion Airport, according to reports published on Sunday by The Times of Israel.

Currently detained and undergoing interrogation within the United Arab Emirates, al-Hammami informed investigators that his plan involved operating the flight in a routine manner after incapacitating the captain, securing all mandatory landing clearances, and subsequently crashing into an airport facility or stationed aircraft, as detailed by Hebrew media sources cited by The Times of Israel.

Also Read: A fight in the cockpit, a plunge from 33,000 feet: Inside the FlyDubai mid-air crisis

By deferring action until the final phase, he calculated he could preclude anyone from recognising the unfolding situation, sounding alarms, or obstructing his objective.

According to The Times of Israel, that consideration accounted for why al-Hammami delayed seizing control of the flight deck until the aeroplane traversed Jordanian airspace.

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His actions were thwarted when Captain Smit Machchhar, despite suffering an assault and stab wounds from al-Hammami, succeeded in unlatching the cockpit portal, allowing a group of Israeli travellers to grapple with and restrain the assailant, while an individual among them steadied the aircraft prior to two off-duty aviators stepping in to assume command of the controls.

Reports cited by The Times of Israel indicated that al-Hammami had visited Ben Gurion Airport on multiple occasions during preceding months following flight duties with flydubai.

He disclosed to interrogators that during his June arrival, his entire focus concentrated on gathering intelligence and mapping out the assault.

He subsequently scheduled the operation for July, though ultimately aborted the initiative at the final juncture due to a personal friendship with a member of the cabin crew.

Israeli security personnel have not directly interrogated al-Hammami themselves, with the intelligence being transmitted to Israel via Saudi and Emirati investigative channels, as noted by The Times of Israel.

Israel has requested that the UAE broaden its questioning parameters to encompass flight attendants, according to Channel 12 reporting conveyed via The Times of Israel.

Meanwhile, Channel 13 reported, as cited by The Times of Israel, that al-Hammami told investigators, "I looked into which airline flies to Tel Aviv. That's why I chose flydubai. I planned it even before I was accepted."

An earlier account published by the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera indicated that al-Hammami intended to strike a skyscraper, drawing upon Israeli intelligence assessments, as reported by The Times of Israel.

According to that account, which outlined a chronological sequence of events, al-Hammami requested a prayer break at 9:15 am before launching an assault on the pilot using the flight deck's crash hatchet, sparking a violent confrontation as Machchhar fought to unlock the door from within.

Around 9:20 am, Tali Manes accompanied her five-year-old child to the washroom area, where she began overhearing the altercation transpiring inside the cockpit.

She alerted an off-duty aviator seated within business class.

The off-duty captain manipulated the exterior handle as Machchhar managed to release the latch, opening the entryway to expose al-Hammami striking the pilot, the documentation stated.

"He's killing the pilot," Manes shouted.

Recognising that his initial objective was no longer viable, al-Hammami initiated a steep dive at 9:21 am targeting the desert floor, alongside efforts to fracture the guidance mechanisms to hinder any alternative attempts to stabilise the airframe, the overview noted.

Nevertheless, several Israeli passengers forced entry into the cockpit, overpowering the perpetrator and levelling the aircraft. Initially, off-duty aviators who intervened to pilot the transport broadcast the 7700 code, signifying a general emergency, at 9:31 am, according to the report.

By 9:35 am, al-Hammami had been subdued, and by 9:38 am, the replacement flight crew altered the transponder signal to the more specific 7500 designation, denoting unlawful cockpit intrusion, Corriere della Sera conveyed, in coverage highlighted by The Times of Israel.

Saudi air traffic management instructed the aviators to execute an unscheduled touchdown in Tabuk, with the commercial jet making contact with the runway at 10:57 am.

Also Read: UAE had shared details about FlyDubai flight with Israel, including pilots' names and nationalities

The transport carried approximately 180 passengers, predominantly Israeli nationals, alongside the flight crew.

The travellers returned home late Wednesday via a chartered repatriation service departing from Saudi Arabia, a nation maintaining no formal diplomatic ties with Israel, while Machchhar and al-Hammami were sent back to the UAE, with Machchhar receiving medical care and the perpetrator facing formal questioning.

Separately, the Ynet news site quoted a senior Emirati source indicating that al-Hammami faces the prospect of capital punishment, as referenced by The Times of Israel.

The briefing noted that authorities in Abu Dhabi intend to seek the most severe sentence available.

It additionally highlighted that Israeli intelligence representatives operated within the United Arab Emirates to participate in the examination of al-Hammami, who holds Omani nationality, according to The Times of Israel.

Building on these investigative developments, preliminary Israeli intelligence assessments conveyed to CBS News by individuals acquainted with the situation indicated that the reported hijacking attempt likely constituted a lone-wolf operation.

The inquiry remains actively ongoing, with authorities exploring every prospective angle, those knowledgeable sources disclosed to CBS News.

Expanding on the timeline, the Wednesday commercial journey operating from Dubai to Tel Aviv neared Israeli airspace when the co-pilot allegedly attacked the flight captain and sought to direct the airframe downward in a crash, statements from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, individuals travelling on the aircraft, and the flight captain confirmed.

The captain managed to resist the co-pilot long enough to release the flight deck portal.

Subsequently, a collective of Israeli passengers alongside FlyDubai personnel subdued the co-pilot, while two off-duty aviators present onboard successfully secured command of the aircraft to execute the emergency landing in Tabuk.

The co-pilot currently remains within the United Arab Emirates, undergoing a subsequent phase of questioning following initial interrogations by Saudi officials when the airliner touched down.

Israel has dispatched its own delegation to the UAE to take part in the ongoing inquiry, as noted by CBS News.

President Trump indicated on Thursday that the co-pilot could maintain connections to Iran, remarking to CBS News, "based on what I'm hearing."

"We're working on it right now," Mr. Trump stated to CBS News.

"They're being very open with us. I would say the answer, based on what I'm hearing, is yes. But we're working on it right now."

Netanyahu communicated to CBS News on Wednesday that the underlying motivations driving the co-pilot remain undetermined.

"I don't think it was a hijacking," Netanyahu informed "CBS Evening News" anchor Tony Dokoupil, supplementing that, as reported by CBS News, "I think it looks like a suicide attempt."

During a Thursday interview, Netanyahu revealed that Israeli authorities established the co-pilot "underwent Islamist radical indoctrination," drawing upon "personal information" compiled via ongoing interrogations, according to CBS News.

He withheld further specifics regarding the alleged radicalisation, though he informed interviewers that the assailant appeared "suicidal," noting that after other crew members and passengers restrained him, he shouted, "Kill me, kill me!"

Public identification of the flight's co-pilot revealed that his legal name is Hamam al Hamami, multiple sources close to the investigation communicated to CBS News.

Al Hamami maintained a brief tenure with Oman Air, participating in junior pilot instruction.

Surveillance conducted by Omani state authorities revealed he accessed extremist online portals, informants noted to CBS News, prompting Oman Air to reassign him to administrative duties.

An insider reported to CBS News that the pilot tendered his resignation from Oman Air subsequent to his reassignment to desk responsibilities, departing the carrier around 2024.

According to sources cited by CBS News, al Hamami previously uploaded digital video footage showcasing El Al Israeli Airlines aircraft stationed in Dubai, concluding the clip with an image depicting Ayman al-Zawahiri, the prominent al Qaeda commander eliminated via an American drone strike in 2022.

Al Hamami subsequently relocated to Dubai, where FlyDubai recruited him without conducting background verification checks through Omani state channels, informants explained to CBS News.

Although holding Omani citizenship, al Hamami was not born in Oman, the sources stated to CBS News, adding that he spent the majority of his upbringing outside the nation, with his maternal heritage rooted in Syria and his paternal lineage in Oman.

Omani state representatives have refrained from formally verifying his nationality in public forums, while insiders suggested to CBS News that dual citizenship status remains a possibility, as such a factor might clarify how he secured authorisation to pilot flights entering Israel.

Further details emerging from international investigations, reported by outlets including The Wall Street Journal and CNN, reveal that following the emergency landing, investigators discovered al-Hammami confessed to interrogators that his intention was to deliberately bring down the flight and that he was "not afraid of death."

The 29-year-old Omani national is being probed regarding how he underwent radicalisation and managed to re-enter a commercial cockpit despite extremist affiliations that had previously drawn official scrutiny.

Authorities across the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Israel are actively investigating whether he operated independently or maintained external ties to foreign entities, with particular focus directed toward Iran.

According to the WSJ, al-Hammami's initial employer, the state-owned carrier Oman Air, barred him from flight duties after discovering his visits to extremist websites, and individuals briefed on his background indicated he subsequently completed a deradicalisation programme before joining FlyDubai in February 2026.

Investigators are also scrutinising his background in Syria, evaluating whether his radicalisation began during his youth amid the civil war, while his digital footprint revealed an extensive online record featuring conservative and misogynistic commentary.

To probe these international connections further, following reports that al-Hammami had been granted an Australian student visa in 2014, authorities in Canberra have initiated an inquiry, according to The Times of Israel.

"The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team (VIC JCTT), comprising the AFP, Victoria Police and ASIO, can confirm it is investigating the man's links to Australia," an Australian Federal Police spokesperson stated, according to The Times of Israel, which cited a report from The Guardian.

"An update will be provided at an appropriate time," the spokesperson added.

The Times of Israel report cited sources telling ABC News that the co-pilot was issued a student visa in 2014 and studied in Australia between 2015 and 2017, when he left the country.

ABC News also reported that al-Hammami's student visa was cancelled in 2019 because he was not enrolled in any course.

The Joint Counter Terrorism Team probe will examine whether the co-pilot was radicalised in Australia, the outlet noted, while CNN reported separately that a previously active LinkedIn profile indicated he undertook remote coursework through Buckinghamshire New University in the United Kingdom.